ARTS PROJECT TO CREATE FILM ABOUT COMMUNITY AND THE MODERN RELATIONSHIP WITH ITS HERITAGE

STORY-TELLING TRIO PLANS TO TAP INTO TREASURE TROVE OF COMMUNITY'S HISTORY TO CAPTURE SNAPSHOT OF 2020

AN AWARD-WINNING collective of northern creatives are mining the memories of a former North Warwickshire pit village to help help kick-start a campaign for a permanent memorial to a Victorian tragedy at the same time.

Experimental folk and storytelling trio Harp & a Monkey have been twinned with Baddesley Ensor as part of a new arts project which will see them create a film about the community and its modern relationship with its heritage.

The two main shafts of the former Baddesley Colliery were sunk in 1850, and the facility would soon become the main source of income and support for the majority of the local people.

Since the mine's closure in 1989, Baddesley has spread in residential terms with many of the former mine workers and their families still living in the village – while still having a wealth of stories from a bygone era to share.

With the help of the Baddesley and Ensor Mining Heritage Group, Harp & a Monkey – who come from Lancashire and specialise in historical storytelling and songwriting – plan to tap into this treasure trove and create a short, sound-tracked film.

The outfit's front-man, Dr Martin Purdy, who is an historian, author and researcher, explained that they are also very keen to hear the thoughts of local people who don't have a direct connection to the mine to see how they relate to the history of the settlement.

He said: "We want to try and collect a snapshot of what the history of the community means to all of the residents in 2020.

"The film will only be about eight-minutes long so we are looking for short items on a variety of themes – for example, did you learn about the mine at school, is your street named after something to do with it, or do you remember a family member or neighbour working there?"

Residents can contribute material by posting comments on items that will be appearing on local Facebook pages, emailing Ian Sweet of the Mining Heritage Group ([email protected]), or posting material to Ray Sweet at Baddesley Ensor Social Club, New Street, Baddesley Ensor CV9 DN.

People who don't mind having their voices heard on the film are being asked to record short comments on their mobile phones and send them to Ian's email. The deadline for this is the last week of August.

Harp & a Monkey will be editing the material, which will be collated by their harpist Simon Jones, who happens to be an international award-winning photographic artist.

At the end of the project, which is being funded by Warwickshire County Council and Warwick-based arts organisation Live & Local, it is hoped that as well as the film there will be renewed enthusiasm among the community to start a fundraising drive to create a permanent memorial to mark the worst disaster in the mine's history in May 1882.

It was more than a century ago that 23 men lost their lives attempting to rescue nine workers trapped by a fire.

The memorial will be in addition to an existing pit head winding wheel sited on The Common at Baddesley which serves as a tribute to all the men who worked in local mines.